View Full Version : Perlan2 high altitude glider 76,000 feet.
snapper1
3rd Sep 2018, 18:23
Flying in the polar vortex above Argentina yesterday the Perlan 2 glider got to 76,000 feet. The aim is to get to 90,000.
Jan Olieslagers
3rd Sep 2018, 18:45
Impressive! Meanwhile, the country below seems to be sinking ever deeper :(
suninmyeyes
3rd Sep 2018, 22:17
What height was it towed up to before being released?
tartare
3rd Sep 2018, 23:20
Isn't it actually the standing wave off the Andes that they're soaring in?
I think the original Perlan goal was to soar to around FL90 - where they could catch the polar vortex - which is the jetstream that would allow them to circumnavigate Antarctica.
Amazing achievement to get as high as they have.
They're towed to FL42 by a Grob turboprop before being released...
India Four Two
4th Sep 2018, 01:10
The FAI requirements for an altitude record require a climb of more than 5000 m (16,400') after release, so a release at 42,000' meets the requirements.
We're searching for stratospheric mountain waves and we have certainly found them. For the third time in one week, Airbus (https://www.facebook.com/airbus/?fref=mentions&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARACvFR4MZV12zt_OrjhXJUo9KyNqEKJ_h165rCsZf ujOCNaOag2g4BZhLyoFsc2PpjCtTnQ-J-PSZKG6_2bBhdSJvzTIGo0qy8rzorhWhXaTiBuLwhubSPZ5eEgN6C55BzZG3H-updntSJImmyVfeAMrqqo1Cm_gz637jCgHJ6zhYshfbi92Sq9ypNQo40PpRPZ ghPrHpEP111LzWkKrxKiz9t7rb_jH1qWfaDL-A&__tn__=K-R) Perlan Mission II has set a new world altitude record for a glider, this time soaring the engineless Perlan 2 to 76,124 feet, in the process collecting vital data on flight performance, weather and the atmosphere.
Yesterday’s flight by pilots Jim Payne and Tim Gardner surpasses even the maximum recorded altitude in level flight of the U.S. Air Force’s famous U-2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft: 73,737 feet, flown by pilot Jerry Hoyt on Apr. 17, 1989.
The U-2 is powered by an engine that generates 17,000 lbs. of thrust. By contrast, the Perlan 2 is engineless, weighs just 1,500 pounds, and soars to its record altitudes on rare stratospheric air currents formed by mountain winds combining with the Polar Vortex.
Video:
https://tinyurl.com/ycfo6eme
Isn't FL42 about 4,200' and FL420 about 42,000'? Anyway Perlan 2 official site says 'about 42,500'.